If Only 2: Going Back
by CameronNinjaDragons
Summary: (Sequel to If Only and second book in "Twisted Ninjago" series) Alex is "home," and Nya somehow ended up in her world. But Alex and Nya are starting to think that nowhere is safe. Joined by a third person, they go on the run while back in Ninjago, the boys are trying to find a way to get them back. But as the days turn to weeks and summer to fall, time begins to run out.
1. Prolouge

_**When I first found out that I was home, I was shell-shocked.**_

_**Didn't I just die?**_

_**I thought I just died.**_

_**But, how did I come home?**_

_**In all honesty, it left me with more questions then answers. I also didn't expect Nya to be there. I mean, for crying out loud! I watched her die! But, the world is a strange place, filled with more questions then answers.**_

_**All that I know now, is that I'm not safe anywhere.**_

_**If Only someone had told me sooner.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_"You can't outrun me Alex; even in your dreams." Garmadon's voice rang in my ears as something lifted me in the air, my arms pinned to my sides._

_"You don't scare me, Garmadon!" I shouted, struggling in the grip, which only tightened._

_"Weren't you ever taught that lying is wrong?" He sneered._

_"Let. Me. GO!"_

* * *

I sat up, drenched in cold sweat. I had been "home" for only a month, but constantly had nightmares.

"Another nightmare?" Nya asked. The two of us had become closer, and apparently we both had dreams, mine being nightmares while Nya had the good dreams. When it was nighttime, I envied her.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"What was this one about?" Seeing as it was Saturday, my mom didn't really care about how late we stayed up.

"Garmadon." I muttered.

"Again?" Nya asked. I just nodded.

"You dream?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. This one was with Kai again. It wasn't anything special, we were just talking." Nya sighed. "I wish I could go home." I remember how terrified Nya was when she first had the dreams. After I explained the whole thing to Nya, she just wanted to know more about Ninjago.

"Well, you bring your communicator?"

"Of course." She said, digging through her bag and pulling out the amber-colored device.

"You have a message." I said, pointing at Kai's button, which was softly glowing. Nya was able to get rid of the static that was on my communicator, and make it so that if someone tried to message either one of us, their button would glow. Nya pressed the lit button, and I could hear the light static that played out for a minute, kinda like how a phone rings.

"_Hey, Nya_." Kai said. I laid on my stomach, looking over Nya's shoulder. "_What's up?_"

"You tried to talk to me earlier." She said.

"_I did?_" Kai asked, yawning and rubbing his eye.

"Yeah."

"_Oh. Well, I don't remember why. Call you in the morning._" The small screen went black.

"Somebody's tired." Nya said, putting her communicator back in her backpack.

"Seems that way." I said, yawning.

"I was talking about you."

"No I'm *yawn* not." I said.

"Alex, it's two in the morning." Nya said. "I'm tired, you're tired, go to sleep."

"But... I don't want another nightmare." I muttered.

"Just... try not to think about it."

"Pfft, that's easy." I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. I laid down on the bed. "Night."

"Same." Nya replied. After about five minutes, I could tell that she was asleep. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but was woken up when my cell phone started ringing. I grabbed the phone off of my nightstand.

"What?" I asked, sighing.

"_Did you hear what's happening?!_" Natalie shouted.

"No, and I'm pretty sure I won't be hearing out of my right ear anymore either."

"_The police said that you disappeared! They're trying to find you!_"

"Natalie, stop joking." I said, laughing dryly.

"_I'm not joking!_ _They're looking for Nya, too!_" I felt myself pale.

"How... how did you hear about this?"

"_The police were at my door a few minutes ago. And Spring called me._"

"Thanks." I hung up the phone, laying on my stomach again and poking Nya's cheek. "Nya. Nya, you need to get up."

"Huh? Why?" Nya asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." I said, glancing at my window. Thank God it's summer. "We have to go."

"Where?" I had opened my window and was removing the screen.

"Anywhere but here!" I grabbed my Ninjago jacket and a pair of jeans off of the top of my dresser and shoved it into my backpack. Nya grabbed her backpack and walked over to me at the window. Nya's jacket was the same as mine, but instead of the star on the wrist, Nya had the same symbol that was on her dress on the show.

I jumped out the window, glad that my room was on the first floor. I went straight to my backyard, holding Nya's wrist in a death-grip.

"What're we doing?" Nya asked.

"Running away." I said plainly. "We are running away, Nya."

"Why?" I sighed, pausing from climbing over the fence.

"The police are coming after us because they remember me dying and they don't remember you ever existing." I said, climbing over the fence and landing on the grass behind my yard. A few yards away, there was a forest.

"Oh God..." Nya said, following me over the fence.

"You should probably call Kai, let him know what's going on." The two of us continued to walk into the forest as Nya was talking to Kai. I tried to _not _listen in on their conversation, but it was kinda hard when Kai was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"_Nya, you need to come home RIGHT NOW!_"

"Kai, I've told you, I can't."

"_Well, you need to find a way to get home!_" Sighing, I walked over to Nya.

"Kai, listen." I said, even though he couldn't see me because I was standing a couple feet away from Nya. "We're trying to get home, so just calm down."

"_Hey, are you talking to Nya and Alex?_" I heard Jay ask.

"_Yeah._" Kai said. "_Go back to sleep._"

"_Hell no!_" I walked over to Nya, looking over her shoulder at the small screen. I saw Jay trying to push Kai's head to the side, and trying to grab Kai's communicator at the same time. Kai groaned, moving his wrist to the side so Jay would stop trying to snap his neck. They were still in the tunnels. "_Hi, Nya. Hey Alex._"

"'Sup." I said, waving slightly. "So, Nya and I are on the run from the police... and I'm very glad that it's still summer."

"_WHAT?!_" They both yelled at once. Then I could hear Cole shouting at the both of them.

"_Would you two shuddup already?!_" Cole yelled. "_I'm trying to sleep!_"

"_NO!_" Jay and Kai yelled in unison.

"_Well at least tell me who you're talking to._" Cole said, his voice not as loud as before.

"_Nya and Alex._" Jay replied. I heard heavy footsteps running closer to Jay and Kai, and then Cole trying to push Kai's head to the side.

"_God damn you two! Stop trying to snap my neck, will you?!_" Kai yelled, again moving his wrist and sending death glares to Jay and Cole.

"Guys, we're still here." Nya said. All three boys turned back to look at us. Kai sighed.

"_Just... be careful, will you? I don't want my sister getting hurt._" He said.

"I know." Nya sighed.

"_I hope you can get home soon._"

"I do to. Talk to you later?"

"_Yeah. Bye._" Nya didn't press the button, and I could hear Jay talking.

"_Did Zane sleep through that?_"

"_Yeah._" Cole said. Then the screen went black. I sighed, looking at Nya.

"We- we should probably find somewhere to sleep." I said, walking further into the forest.

"Yeah..." I looked around, trying to find somewhere to sleep. I saw a tree that would be able to hide the two of us, just in case of a police officer or someone would come looking for us. I turned the gears on my boots, and the spikes came out. Then I dug through my back, pulling out my gloves and pulling them on. I walked over to the tree, climbing it and trying to find a branch that would hide me, and support my weight. I saw one higher up in the tree, and looked down at my feet as I climbed so I wouldn't fall.

"I'm- up." I looked at Nya, who had somehow beat me to the branch. "I hate you." I searched for a branch again, finding one lower down on the tree. Taking off my gloves, I shoved them into my backpack and pulled on the thinner layer of my jacket. I retracted the spikes in my boots, then hanging my backpack on a branch near my head.

Leaning up against the trunk of the tree, I looked at the ring on my finger, barely able to see it in the pale morning light. Dropping my hands in my lap, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Trust me, not as easy as it would sound.

**_So... even though I've had the first three chapters in a notebook since November, I had a lot of revising to do. Ugh. Well, I might not be able to get a chapter up before school starts again, but I'll try. CameronNinjaDragons, signing off._**


	3. Chapter 2

_**So... most of the early chapters are gonna start out with Alex's dreams and such, but you'll see why later. Maybe... if I find a way to make it work... merf. Also, I started an account that has several different authors working under one name. Pm me for more details.  
**_

_"Just because you ran away from home, it doesn't mean that the dreams would stop." I looked up._

_"Lloyd?" I asked, chuckling. "It's certainly been a while."_

_"I know." He said. "Look, you remember when I saved your ass before, right?"_

_"Yes, and then I lost it only a few weeks later. Where's this going?"_

_"I need you to help me." I cocked my hear, looking at him._

_"What'd you mean?"_

_"I wanna get away from my dad." Lloyd said. "But... I don't know... how." My eyes widened._

_"Uh... I'm not really sure as to how I can help you." I said. "I mean, it's not like I can get back to your dimension." Lloyd sighed, sitting down on the ground and burying his face in his arms._

* * *

"Alex?" Nya asked. "Why are you on the ground?" I was on my back, on the ground, looking up at the tree I had slept in last night. I laughed dryly.

"Gravity." I said. "I blame gravity." I sat up, wincing.

"Well, are you okay?"

"Possibly." I was sitting up now. "Can you toss me my backpack?"

"Yeah." Nya easily climbed down to where I had slept, grabbed my backpack, and threw it to me.

"Thank you, friend." I said to her, opening the backpack and taking out my gloves yet again before climbing back up the tree.

"Must have been a pretty bad dream for you to fall out of bed like that." Nya said. "Care to explain what it was?"

"Well... Garmadon wasn't in it... Lloyd was." I said, forcing myself to not wring my hands.

"Lloyd? Why would he dream-haunt you?"

"Well, it wasn't a nightmare. He- he was asking for help."

"Why would Lloyd ask you for help?" I shrugged before answering.

"He said that he wants to get away from his dad."

"Oh..." Nya said, and we both fell silent. After a few minutes, she broke the uneasy silence. "Well, I don't really wanna sit in a tree all day. I'm going to find something to eat."

"Don't die!" I said, waving as Nya climbed down the tree.

"Very funny." I watched as she walked away, and leaned back against the tree.

"_Hello? Alex?_" I tensed, looking down at my wrist communicator.

"Oh God..." I sighed, blowing. "Lloyd... _how_?"

"_So, can you help me?_"

"I-I don't know what to do!" Lloyd shook, almost like he was sobbing. What I heard next made my blood turn cold.

"_Now now, Lloyd. You know that she isn't going to help you._" It was Garmadon's voice.

"_No! Ow! Dad, stop, you're hurting me! Stop!_"

"_Lloyd, stop this nonsense! You're fifteen for hell's sake!_"

"_Dad! Please!_" Red splattered on the screen from Garmadon and Lloyd's side, and I heard a thud.

"L-Lloyd?" I asked, shaking. Then Garmadon's face appeared on the screen.

"_Know this, child. You can't help him, no matter what you try._"

And then the screen turned black.


	4. Chapter 3

_**I'm not dead! I was just too lazy to type anything. Merf. Well, enjoy this chapter, and vote on the poll that resides on my profile.**_

"Alex? Are you okay?" Nya asked, climbing up the tree and sitting next to me. She shook my shoulder. "Alex?" I shook my head, turning towards her.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't look it. You're really pale."

"I am?" I asked, lightly gripping the branch. Nya nodded. "Oh..." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Alex." Nya said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "_What happened?_" I sighed in defeat, looking down.

"Alright. If you really wanna know, then I'll tell you. I think Garmadon just killed Lloyd." Nya looked taken aback by what I had just said.

"How?" She asked. "More importantly, why?"

"Lloyd was somehow able to hack into my communicator. He asked me if I would help him, and I said yes, and then, well, Garmadon cut in. I saw red, and heard a thud, and... I think Garmadon killed Lloyd." I bit my lip, looking down.

"Wish you'd told me sooner." I looked back up at Nya.

"Guess it's a little late now." I said, closing my eyes, still sitting there in the tree next to Nya.

"_Alex!_" I looked up, not sure as to where the voice came from. It wasn't all that loud, clearly off in the distance.

"You-?" Nya started.

"Yeah." I said, cutting her off. We both pulled on our gloves, and while Nya climbed down the tree, I was an idiot and jumped right down.

"Are you okay?" Nya asked, stepping on the ground and running over to me.

"Yeah." I stood up, stumbling slightly.

"Are you sure?" I nodded, but in truth, my ankle was killing me, but I ignored the pain. Nya and I walked deeper into the woods, where there were hills, that further turned into small mountains.

"_Alex! Can you even hear me?!_" The voice yelled again.

"Do you even recognize that voice?" Nya asked.

I shook my head. "No. All I can hear is someone yelling my name."

"It's not Kai or Jay..." The voice yelled one more time, and after another five minutes of walking, both Nya and I saw who was yelling.

Lloyd.

His left shoulder was completely destroyed, blood covering the left half of the green t-shirt he was wearing, darkening it to almost black. His hair was also messy, and his nose was bleeding heavily.

* * *

Five minutes of questioning later, Nya and I finally shut up long enough for Lloyd to talk.

"Well, when my dad saw that I was talking to you, he freaked out... and..." Then the teen sighed, his good shoulder slumping. Lloyd was shaking his head. "I'm not gonna say..." I bit my tongue, forcing myself to not pressure him further.

"Listen..." Nya said. "I'm not sure as to how Alex and I can help you-"

"But we'll try." I butt in, like the genius that I am. Nya looked over at me, raising an eyebrow, but I looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Just... no promises on getting you back home." Lloyd just nodded, now silent.

"First things first, we need to fix your shoulder." Nya said, getting up.

_**So here's the first chapter since January second. Sorry for the cliffhanger of last chapter, but I needed a break for a couple of weeks for some reason. CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Hi guys! As you all know, my updates aren't as frequent as before, but I have no explination for that! Yeah... sorry, but I have several stories going at once, so I'm trying to keep up on all of them, same with my other two accounts. So, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be updating as much as before. Also, I'm not looking as sharply for typos and misspellings. Let me know if you find one!  
**_

Lloyd was clearly in pain. His shoulder obviously wasn't going to heal right without some sort of surgery. But we wouldn't be able to go somewhere for help because there was a probable manhunt for Nya and I.

I sighed, sitting down, leaning up against a tree. My head hurt from all the thinking and whatnot. I was hungry, too. Tired. Maybe I could just sleep for a minute...

* * *

_"You seem to be full of surprises, Alex." Really, Garmadon?! Still?!_

_"I really hate you." I muttered under my breath._

_"Speak up, dear." Oh, how I wanted to slap him._

_"I really hate you." I repeated._

_"As do many other people." Garmadon said. "It's an unfortunate side-effect of being a tyrant."_

_"Your own son hates you."_

_"I understand that. But not for long..."_

* * *

"Alex. Alex, wake up!" Nya was shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me up. I opened my eyes groggily, sitting up. I looked up, seeing darker sky through the leaves.

"I- I fell asleep... and guess who visited?"

"Oh no..." I simply nodded.

"Where's Lloyd?" Nya looked around before turning back to me.

"I don't know. He walked off to to something, but I don't know what it was, and then I went to find you."

"Oh crap..." I said, standing up. "Oh bloody crap! I told Garmadon that Lloyd hates him, and then he said not for long! There's probably spears or some other bad-ass weapon buried in the ground near wherever the heck Lloyd is!" I sat down, sighing. "We're screwed." I buried my face in my hands.

"You don't know that." Nya said. "It's just a dream after all."

"Yeah, just a dream..."

"And, with the condition Lloyd's arm is in, he won't be able to do much." I nodded. "We should probably go find him and make sure that he's not hurt... well, hurt anymore then he already is."

"Sure." The two of us began to walk, trying to find the teen.

* * *

_(We're gonna focus on Lloyd now, but not in his point of view, just, focus on Lloyd.)  
_

Lloyd found himself walking, but not in control of his movements.

He was walking towards the mountains.

In the same direction that Nya and Alex were going.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked.

_"Don't worry, son. You're just getting something for me."_ The teen looked around, puzzled.

"Dad? Where are you? How are you controlling my movements?"

_"Relax son. I'm simply inside your head. As I mentioned before, you are simply retreiving something for me."_ Garmadon explained._ "Then, I'll bring you home."  
_

"But what if I don't want to come home?" Lloyd asked.

_"You have no choice on the matter."_

"Well I say I do." Lloyd closed his eyes, dropping to the ground, refusing to move.

_"Lloyd... there's no need to throw a tantrum..." _The teen ignored the voice of his father in his head. _"Lloyd..."_

"I'm ignoring you right now."

_"Stop being such a child!" _Garmadon continued to scold Lloyd, but the blonde continued to ignore him.

Then, much to Lloyd's surprise, the voice suddenly stopped.

The teen stood up, but fell back to the ground, weak from the communication and from being controlled. He couldn't sit up, and soon blacked out.

_**Yay humor! Even if it is mild... and lame... But at least I updated! *sigh* CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**I haven't updated this story in over a year? Holy crap! Why didn't anyone tell me?**_

"Lloyd! Lloyd, where are you?!" I yelled, cupping my hands on either side of my mouth. Nya was walking near me, though she was looking down, her hands in her pockets.

"Is it really safe to be that loud?" Nya asked, looking over at me. Her black hair was messy, and her amber eyes were dull. "We can't have anyone else hearing us." I let out a sigh, my arms dropping down by my sides.

"Yea... I know, Nya." I said, looking over at her. "I know..." I paused, sighing. I dropped to the ground, burying my face in my hands.

"It's just... What if something happened to him, Nya? What if Lloyd's dead, or hurt? Or... or-?"

"Or nothing, Alex." Nya said, cutting me off. "He's probably fine, and we'll find him before tomorrow. How does that sound?" She asked. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and then a pair of arms wrap around me. "You worry too much." I chuckled, looking at Nya.

"I do worry too much, huh?" I asked, returning the hug.

"Well, there's no use sitting here hugging all day, now is there?" Nya asked, getting up. She held her hand out to me, and I took it. After she had helped me to my feet again, the two of us continued walking, now passing playful banter between the two of us.

* * *

(_Lloyd's turn again_)

Lloyd groaned, rolling over and rubbing at his eyes. He let out a cry of pain when he felt something rub against his bad shoulder, and instantly sat up. He looked over, seeing a young dog looking up at him. Lloyd looked over at it, and the puppy started wagging it's tail.

"Oh, uh... hi." Lloyd said, holding out his right hand to the puppy. It jumped up, licking his hand. "Uh, sit. Stay? Stop moving for a sec!" Lloyd said, checking the puppy. He didn't find a collar, or any indication that the dog had an owner. The dog had long fur, and the coloring of a German Shepard, but the fur pattern of a Siberian Husky.

"You look like a little bear, pup." Lloyd chuckled. "Bear. I think that's a good name for you." The puppy jumped up, trying to lick Lloyd face. "Okay, okay, down please." He nudged Bear off of him, and got to his feet, and looked down at the dog.

"Well, I think we should get going. What's your thought?" Bear just looked up at Lloyd, following the teen as he walked. "Alright. I wonder if Alex and Nya are looking for me..." Lloyd turned, looking towards the mountains. Then he looked back towards the woods, the towering pines that he had come out of. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He walked into the pine trees, Bear nipping at his heels as he walked. He looked down, seeing his footsteps from when his dad controlled him, and bent down.

"From the looks of it, I was out for a good few hours, and judging by this, I should be able to follow my own footsteps back to where the girls are..." Lloyd muttered, standing up and beginning to walk. "So long as the two of them haven't gone too far..."

* * *

"Nya, it's almost dark out." I said, worry lacing my voice. "We still haven't found Lloyd..."

"Alex, don't worry about Lloyd." Nya said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Look, how about we... let's, find a place for tonight, okay? We'll keep looking in the morning..." Nya pulled her gloves out of her backpack, turned the gear on her boots, and climbed up an oak tree. "You coming?" I looked up at Nya.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I'll be up in a minute." I gave one more look around, and sat down on the ground, turning the gear on my boots and removing my gloves from my bag. I walked over to the tree, and began climbing it, still looking around. Nya smiled at me when I sat down next to her.

"Don't fall this time." Nya teased. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Hey, I wanna go check something out, alright?" I said, standing up and beginning to climb again.

"Oh... alright. I'll be here, then." Nya said. I nodded, climbing up to the highest branch I could before stopping, looking into the trees. I saw a lone figure moving through the trees, wearing a green t-shirt that was stained on one shoulder, and, for some reason, had a puppy following him.

"Lloyd!"

**_Ha ha! I have updated this story! It literally only took my two episode of The Walking Dead to write this (I've been binge-watching it on Netflix). Well, you should have another chapter of this story within the next month! CameronNinjaDragons, signing off._**


	7. Chapter 6

_**Okay, I lied about the whole "within a month." I want to make up for lost time with this story so we can move on to the third story, because that's when shit gets real. A whole lot of secrets are going to be revealed, and you're going to see why I haven't used Cole in this story. This story is probably going to be the shortest one, though I will be revealing a few things at the end of it that will start the third story off.**_

When I yelled, Lloyd looked up. His eyes lit up, and he started running, the puppy following him. He waved with his good arm, grinning the whole time.

"Wait, you see him?" Nya asked quickly, climbing up next to me. "Well, speak of the devil... and he shall appear..."

"Speak of his son is more like it..." I said, climbing down the tree.

"Wha- well, bye, I guess." Nya said, sitting down. I ignored her, running over to Lloyd.

"Why did you leave?" I asked him, grabbing his good wrist. Lloyd looked at me, nervous as I looked up into his green eyes.

"Calm... calm down, Alex." Lloyd said, pulling his hand out of my grasp. "It was my dad, alright? He... he took control of my mind, and he wanted me to get something for him, but I refused."

"He... _what_?" I pulled my knife out of my pocket, flipping the blade and grabbing the front of Lloyd's shirt. "If you're still in there, you better get the hell out of Lloyd's head, Garmadon!"

"H-hey! Alex, he's gone! He's gone!"

"How can I know if you're telling the truth...?" I asked, glaring at Lloyd.

"Ask me things that only I would know."

* * *

(_It's the guy's turn now_)

"A... portal?" Kai asked, looking at Jay. Jay bit his lip.

"Well, technically speaking, yes." Jay said, wiping some of the oil from the side of his face, but only managing to smear it. "If I can get the correct parts, it should be able to bring Alex and Nya back here. But nowadays, getting the needed parts would take weeks, months, even."

"What do you need?" Kai demanded. "I want my sister back already."

"Kai, I want Nya back, too. But these things take time, and I can't change that." Jay turned away, grabbing a wrench from his toolbox, moving under the machine on a skateboard. Kai grabbed Jay's ankles, pulling him out from under the machine.

"Jay, listen to me." Kai said, glaring down at the mechanic. "You tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you. That's a promise." Jay sighed.

"Toss me that rag, will you?" Jay said, sitting up and pointing to the table with the wrench. Kai let out a groan, throwing the dirty rag at Jay. "Thanks." Jay wiped his hands, tossing the rag back at Kai afterwards.

"Well?"

"...Fine. Get me paper and a pencil, and I'll write down what I need. But I need Zane here, so if anyone's going with you, it has to be Cole." Jay stood up, placing the wrench on the table.

"Wait, you're serious?" Kai asked, grabbing Jay's shoulders.

"Yes I'm serious, hot-head. Now get me paper, and something to write with." The mechanic turned away from Kai, and Kai ran off.

"I'll be right back!" Kai yelled over his shoulder as he ran, slamming the door behind him.

"You better!"

* * *

I let out a sigh, sitting down. The puppy, which Lloyd had named Bear, ran over to me, attempting to lick my face. I held the puppy back, gently making it sit.

"How're you so good with him?" Lloyd asked.

"Her." I corrected, petting Bear. "And Sammy had a dog once. A little Lab he named Shadow. But he got out one day, and a car didn't see him... The poor thing died almost instantly..."

"You had a dog?" Nya asked, coming back, carrying both of our backpacks.

"Yeah." I said, nodding. "Well, technically, it was my brother's, but he was only five at the time, so I often took care of the dog."

"We never had a dog back at the base." Nya said, sitting down as well. "Cole said it was too risky, and that if it barked, we'd be dead in an instant."

"It depends on the breed of dog." I said. "Judging by Bear here, she wouldn't be much of a barker."

"How do you know so much about animals?" Lloyd asked. I shrugged, petting Bear, who was now laying down.

"I'm kind of a geek." I said, chuckling.

"Really?" Nya asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "I always thought that you just snuck out a lot."

"That too."

**_Oh my gosh, I'm finally writing this again! Okay, so I'll probably be updating on weekends, and it won't be the same story every weekend. CameronNinjaDragons, signing off._**


	8. Chapter 7

_**Welcome to the first time skip! As I said, I'm going to rush this story along.**_

_(Two Months Later)_

_(Focus on the guys now)_

"Are you _sure_ there's nothing else that you need, Jay?" Kai asked, looking at the mechanic. Jay stood up, grabbing a screwdriver.

"I just have two or three screws left, and I'll be done." Jay said, walking over to the machine. "How about I come get you when I'm finished?" Kai shook his head, but Jay hadn't said it like a question, and Kai sighed, leaving. But he didn't go very far.

Kai sat down just outside the building, the grass coming up to his ankles as he sighed. He just wanted Jay to hurry up so he could see his sister again. He leaned back against the rough wood of the building.

* * *

Kai figured that he must have dozed off at some point, because Jay was shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

"Hey hot-head, it's done," Jay said, getting up from where he was crouched in front of Kai. That instantly woke him up, making Jay laugh. "C'mon. We gotta do a test run first." Kai ignored what his friend had told him, pushing him aside and running into the room.

The machine was huge. It was a dark grey in color, with lights flashing in different shades of blue. A computer monitor and keyboard had been attached to a panel on the side that swung out, and Jay walked over to the panel, pausing and looking at Kai.

"I need you to call one of the girls. This thing won't work without their exact coordinates," Jay explained, then holding out four bracelets, each looking like a mini version of the portal. "These wristbands are good for one trip; they'll work for the way there, and then the way back. They _only _work for one person at a time. I'll send you through, and then call you back. Understood?" Kai nodded, smirking at Jay.

"Let's do it, then," Kai said, turning on his watch and calling Nya.

* * *

The past two months have been the most terrifying months ever.

Lloyd's shoulder had stopped bleeding withing a week of us finding him, but I hadn't felt okay with that. I had actually taken my spare shirt and torn it up, wrapping it around the wound- which looked even worse uncovered, mind you- as a sort of makeshift bandage. Nya had managed to cut off the part of his shirt that had been stained with blood, and Lloyd was able to wear what was left of the shirt.

Bear had run off about a month ago, and sadly, we hadn't seen her since then. Lloyd was barely able to use his left arm, seeing as his left shoulder was a scarred pulp, and shards of bone were poking out in certain places. While he could bend his arm slightly, it barely did anything, and Lloyd was lucky that his hand was still okay. At least he wasn't in pain anymore.

But none of us had any idea as to what was about to happen.

Nya's watch began beeping, which wasn't unusual, seeing as Kai would call her every day without fail. I quickly sent Lloyd away, not wanting Kai to notice that he was with Nya and I, and he complied, seeing as he had done it daily for the past two months.

"_I need your exact coordinates_," Kai said as soon as soon as Nya pressed the button on her watch.

"Hello to you too, brother," Nya said, rolling her eyes. "Care to explain why you need that?"

"_Jay figured out a way to get both you_ and _Alex home_," Kai said excitedly. "_I just need to try out one of the bracelets that Jay made, get back, go to you two, and then bada-bing bada-boom, you're home!_" I felt something heavy fall into my stomach, making me swallow thickly.

"Kai... how many bracelets are there?" I asked slowly.

"After I try out this one, there's gonna be three left," Kai said. It was hard to not notice the happiness in his voice, but I wasn't focused on that. The pit in my stomach had grown. "Each bracelet can only be used once, though." At this, I stumbled back, bumping into a tree and sliding down the trunk, completely numb to everything around me.

"I'll call you back in a few minutes, okay?" Nya said before hanging up, not waiting for her older brother's response. I was vaguely aware that she was crouching down in front of me, resting her hands on my shoulders. "Alex? Are you okay?" I shook my head.

"No," I croaked, looking up at her. "I promised Lloyd that I would help him. How can I do that if I have to leave him?" I quickly wiped at my eyes, sniffing loudly. "You need to tell Jay that he needs to make another bracelet."

"That's crazy!" Nya cried. "They wouldn't accept Lloyd the second they saw him! Hell, they might not even accept him at all! And really, could you blame them?" Then I heard a branch snap behind me. I quickly stood up, seeing Lloyd running off.

"No!" I cried, taking a few rushed steps towards Lloyd before slowing to a stop. "Lloyd, she didn't mean it! Lloyd! Please come back!" When it was clear that he wasn't going to come back, I shot a glare at Nya before running after Lloyd, leaving my friend behind me.

* * *

I had managed to catch up to Lloyd fairly easily, seeing as every time his bad arm moved too fast, he would cry out in pain. I had quickly rushed up to him, grabbing his good arm and turning him to face me. His eyes seemed red and puffy, and he turned his head away from me. _When did he get so tall? Gah, focus, Alex!_ I shook my head slightly before placing my hand on his cheek and gently turning his face towards me.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. Lloyd's good hand reached up to my hand, which was on his face.

"I'm sorry..." Lloyd said, averting my gaze. "I'm not trying to cause any trouble, really I'm not... maybe I should just-"

"Stay," I said, forcing him to meet my gaze. "You should just stay. I told you that I'd help you, didn't I? It's gonna be kinda difficult if I'm not here with you, right?" I gave him a half-hearted smile.

"You're sure about this?" Lloyd asked me, moving his hand to my shoulder, sending chills down my spine. All I could do was nod, earning a smile from Lloyd. "The I suppose I'll stay."

"You better," I said with a laugh. "Now, let's go find Nya, and get home." I led him back to the clearing where Nya and I had spoken to Kai...

Only to find that she wasn't here.

"Nya?" I called, looking around, seeing no sign of her. I quickly called her on my watch, and she picked up by the second ring.

"_Alex? Where on earth were you?_" Nya said.

"I could ask you the same- wait, what?" I said, looking at the small screen with a confused expression. "Where _was_ I? Where_ are_ you? I was finding Lloyd, and we're back in the clearing now." Nya instantly gained a look of hurt and sadness on her face, and I saw here eyes begin to water.

"_Oh Alex... I'm back in Ninjago. Kai came and got me while you were gone._"

**_What? I'm updating two days in a row? Haha, and I left you guys with a cliffhanger. Don't worry, though, I already have the next chapter in the works. CameronNinjaDragons, signing off._**


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